Projects

Zelle P2P

Zelle Landing Page

Zelle P2P Implementation at USAA Role: Lead Design Producer One of my first major initiatives at USAA was leading the design execution for the integration of Zelle, a peer-to-peer (P2P) payment platform, into our existing Member-to-Member money transfer feature. While USAA already offered internal P2P transfers, the introduction of Zelle expanded our capabilities on a national scale—connecting our members to a broader network formed by a coalition of major banks. This enhancement positioned USAA to compete more directly with popular platforms like Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App, while maintaining our unique member-first approach to design, security, and usability. My role involved working cross-functionally with stakeholders across compliance, tech, and design to ensure a seamless, secure, and intuitive experience for our members.

Zelle® at USAA — From Concept to a 9-Year Success Story

Role: Product Design Producer & Strategic Lead | P2P Banking

I was honored to be selected as one of only five USAA leaders invited to collaborate directly with Early Warning Systems (EWS)—the consortium behind what would become Zelle, then code-named BrandX. This cross-organizational partnership marked the beginning of a groundbreaking initiative to develop a national peer-to-peer payment platform that could rival Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App.

Representing USAA, I played a key role in shaping the strategic planning, execution roadmap, branding alignment, and design system integration for the new service. From establishing collaborative workflows to ensuring brand consistency between USAA and the EWS-led network, my involvement was critical to setting a strong foundation for launch and adoption.

Being part of this early, high-impact leadership team positioned me at the forefront of an industry-changing moment in digital banking—and allowed me to directly influence the member experience from the ground up.

My Role and Impact

Strategic Planning & Roadmapping: Collaborated directly with executive leadership at USAA and EWS to align branding, timelines, and product strategy—ensuring our voice was heard in the evolution of a national P2P solution.
Human-Centered Design (HCD): Led design efforts informed by HCD principles, conducting qualitative and quantitative research to understand member pain points and guide product decisions that prioritized trust, ease of use, and clear value.
Cross-Functional Leadership: Partnered with internal teams across Business, Legal, Risk, Fraud, Development, Content, and Accessibility, balancing internal requirements with external network standards from EWS.
Design Systems & Tokens: Maintained alignment across both USAA and EWS design tokens to ensure consistency and compliance, even as the product scaled and evolved.
Product Development & Integration: Oversaw the seamless rollout of Zelle enrollment, acquisition, and transaction flows, carefully coordinating releases across mobile and web platforms.
Content & Legal Alignment: Worked closely with legal and content teams to manage disclosures, fraud communications, and member education in accordance with evolving compliance standards.
Organizational Influence: Served as a visible ambassador for the product internally, participating in company-wide roadshows and rollout events to drive engagement and adoption.

Business Outcomes

Successfully launched Zelle to millions of USAA members, directly contributing to over 12.5 million transactions this year.
Ongoing product enhancements and updates continue to be driven by member insights and analytics, keeping the experience relevant and trusted in an evolving financial landscape.

Here are some quick stats of what Zelle moves:

Total Volume: Zelle's annual total transfer volume was $806 billion in 2023.
Hourly Average: During the fourth quarter of 2023, Zelle transferred approximately $100 million every hour.
Individual Limits: Bank limits can vary significantly. For example, Bank of America allows up to $20,000 per month.

Daily Limits: Daily limits also vary, with some banks allowing up to $3,500 or $5,000 per day.

Zelle RoadShow

Shaping the Future of Payments at USAA

For nearly a decade, I’ve played a pivotal role in transforming the digital payments landscape at USAA. As a cross-functional leader, I’ve driven collaboration across Business Development, Design, and Digital teams to bring multiple high-impact products and platforms from concept to production.

My portfolio of contributions includes the successful launch and evolution of industry-defining services such as Zelle, Funds Transfer, Bill Pay, Remote Deposit Capture, Wires, and Connected Accounts. I’ve been at the forefront of product strategy and delivery—facilitating alignment between technical feasibility, business goals, and human-centered design to deliver seamless, secure, and scalable payment experiences for millions of members.

This body of work reflects not only my depth of experience in the payments space, but also my passion for building solutions that balance innovation, usability, and trust.